The tale of Catherine Bray
by Tammyluvstwilight
Summary: Catherine Bray is a dead teenager that frequents in Anns dreams, but what will happen when she realises how she REALLY died? Ann starts on a quest for truth and justice so that Catherine may go peacefully to the other side.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! just checking to see how this works out, I wanted to try something new, and my english book provided me with the perfect three lines for a begining, so enjoy!PS: I used my fav author's last names for the last names in the story...**

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Last night, I had a nightmare. I was walking through a cemetary at was a full moon and the world seemed misty. Then, I saw a ghost! I stayed still, petrified, she was beautifull, even with her translucent features, you could still tell she was blond. She was wearing what appeard to be a white silk night gown, her eyes weren't looking at me, they were looking past me, like I wasn't there.I turned to see what she was looking at, and there, in the darkness, was a grave "Catherin Bray, 1880-1897" on top of her tomb stone was an angel, but, when I looked closer, I realised the angel was missing it's wings, and looked lonly and helpless...

I looked at the ghost, and called her by the name on the tomb stone "Catherin?" the moment I said her name, she looked at me, I could see her eyes were swolen and her face was wet of crying. "Catherin Bray?" she came closer,  
and noded her head..."why have you been crying Catherin?" I asked, she looked at the floor, then back at me, and she was about to say something when suddently, something sounded in the distance, scared she dissapeard into the darkness.

I woke up startled, it was time to get up, I got dressed, put up my hair in a bun and went down stairs, were mother greeted me with some toast "Good morning Ann, did you have a good night's rest?" I nodded my head, why make mother worry over such foolish things as a 15 year-old girl's nightmares? "Yes... will we be going any where today?" I never really enjoyed going out with mother and her friends, we would all have to sit in a room, and I would be forced to sew something like the rest of them while they chatted about how so and so did such and such...They would also becon on how I should sit and force me to make tea and serve it... But as a yound lady should lern these things, I would do it without question, besides, sometimes they talked about interesing things that happened out of this town, they would call it "child talk" but it still interested me... "Ann! have you heard a single word I've said?" I shook my head "Of course not, you've been looking at the celing this whole time... As I was saying, we have to go out to see because she claims she has this new dress that would look wounderfull on you for the spring dance, after all, your season is comming darling" she smiled at me, and I tryied to smile back, but, I knew my smile didn't reach my eyes. It wasn't that I didn't like boys, it was that I didn't feel the need to marry the first handsome one that came my way, as my mother had planned.

We headed out, it was a cold winter day, no one would think Spring was just around the corner... "Good morning Ladies, so good to see you!" that was , always cheery and bright, like a butterfly... "You simply must see this Sarah, it was just imported from Paris" Mother looked at the dress, it was sky blue, and had extreemly puffy sleeves, it was a beautifull dress. "We'll take it!" I smiled at mother, she was one of the only women I knew that had a fashion sence like mine...

We went to Mrs. Cast's house and I sewed a new hankercheef, but accidentaly wrote C.B on it... "Who in the world is C.B?" asked, "Catherin Bray" I replied. There was a silence, I looked up, my mother was staring at me, so was and "D-did you say Catherin Bray?" mother asked me "Yes" my mother nearly fainted... "Do you know her?" I enquired, not to my mother, but to all of the ladies present... "She was a young girl that moved here from India in 1890 I believe, she was a nice girl, very pleasent and cordial, everyone thought she would become the perfect lady, but, one day, when she was about your age, she was found alone in the woods, by a fire and a make-shift bed made of hay, she had run away from home a few days earlier, and she was wounded, her parents took her in imediatly, poor Mr. and Mrs. Bray" Mrs. Cast started to tell, then stopped, motioning to to keep going for her... "She spent the rest the year locked up at home, her parents tried to take her out in the open, but she refused, at night, the neighbours would hear her scream at her parents, and after a while, her parents announced she had gone insane, Mr and Mrs. Bray were very good people, they kept her at home instead of taking her to a mental institution like most people told them to do, at last, on her 17th birthday, she was announced dead by her parents, she had killed herself" My eyes opened wide, I coulden't believe what I was hearing, Catherin was insane and had killed herself? when I saw her in my dream, she didn't look insane, she looked sad and scared, like a helpless child...

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**Hope you liked it! I know, weird begining whatever... review even if you hate it!!! plz? 0.0**


	2. Chapter 2

**HI! this is just a short chapter that I thought up in school and HAD to put in... enjoy!**

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The next few nights, Catherin would come to me in dreams, but everytime she was about to answer, the same poise scared her off. What was that noise? Why was she afraid? After spending the third day pondering, I finally decided, I had to go into the heart of the woods, to find Melissa, the witch. [DUN, DUN,DUUUN!]

As I walked to my best Friend's house, I remembered the Legend of Melissa…She was the bastard daughter of the grave diggers wife and Count Ivan. One day, she was acused of witchcraft. In an attempt to save her life, Count Ivan banned her to the woods, never to return. Rumers were that the gypsies that traveled through the woods met her, and taught her spells, to read tarot cards, and to comunicate with the dead...

I got to Emily's house, I was supposed to be spending the night there that evening... "Y-you want me to go where?" Elisa all but screamed at me "Shhh! To the woods, to find Melissa" Emily looked at me terrified

"I-I-I couldn't, I shouldn't" with every word her voice gained strength and speed "No! definetly not! I shan't go into the heart of the dark woods to look for a legendary witch so that she can help you comunicate with a corpse that you claim to have dreamed about, we could get lost, and it's cold and, and , and" Emily looked like she was going to explode. "Emily Erin Hunter! please relax this instant!" I reminded myself of my mother... "Emm, if you don't want to come with me, I shall go by myself!" I lifted my chin dramaticly. In truth, I was terrified of going by myself to the woods, but with Emily there, I would go in protective mode, and I would focus on calming her down isntead of my own fears."No! You can't go by yourself!" Yes, Emily had fallen for the bait. "If my own best friend wont come with me, there's really no point in asking anyone else, if I don't come back, tell mother I love her dearly"Another dramatic sigh, and I headed towards the door. "Ok! ok, I'll go. But when we're lost, cold, scared and cursed by Melissa, I wont hesitate in saying that I told you so" I ran towards her and hugged her "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"I squealed in delight "Ann.. darling... I...can't...breath!" I detached from Emily and took out my picnic basket, I had already prepared everything: Bread, biscuits, jam, water, a blanket... "Emily, would you mind providing some money?" Emily just nodded, I could see her shaking under her dress.

We made sure her parents were sound alseep, and we were off.

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**Sorry it was so short (again) I think you should just get used to it... Review!!!!! please! while I was posting I even made up a song, with the rythim of the cinderella song "bibety bobbety boo" but it sayd "please read and review" and then my brother appeard and started looking at me weird, it was hillarious! **


	3. Chapter 3

I know it's been a long time, but someone finally has shown some interest in my work… also, now I have more time. Also, I'd like to note, that when I publish my chapters some letters and names go missing.

Chapter 3

In the woods

"We're not going to find her you know" Em said. I sighed, how come I chose someone so pessimist to come with me? "Sure we will, have a little faith Em!…. Please?" I attempted to put on a pleading face, but one dramatic scene was enough for her. "NO! I am not having ANY faith, you know how imaginative I am Ann, more than I should for my age… and my mum has told me the Melissa legend many times over. Besides, I have nothing to do but complain to entertain myself, and if I don't entertain myself I shall run off and you shall never see me*she was so preoccupied in her little speech she didn't see the large root coming out of the ground right in front of her, so her last word wasn't so much **again** it was more of a **aghey** sort of a word* I stopped for a moment and tried to think, I didn't even know which way we were supposed to go. I looked down at Em, my poor Emily, she looked like a rag doll that's been tossed around too much, her neat blond bun had pieces of branches and leaves in it, and hair was falling out. Her dress, ohh her poor dress! A layer of mud surrounded the fabric that was under her knees, because of her fall, her shoes were in a horrible state, lady's shoes aren't made for going to the woods, no doubt. Finally I had the bravery to look at her face, her blue eyes begging, pleading almost made me want to cry, I knew deep down that she was right, that we would never find a witch like this.

Suddenly it hit me: "Emily! I have the most fantastic idea ever, I promise it will keep you preoccupied till we get to where we want to go!" She looked at me expectantly, the pleading in her eyes gone, but not completely "You are going to tell me a story!" Em frowned, obviously not understanding anything.

" You are going to tell me the story of Melissa the witch, as you said before, you are very imaginative, so I want full descriptions of everything!" I smiled at her, but she didn't smile back. She thought about it, and finally, she gave in. I smiled again, and I saw a hint of a smile in her eyes.

"OK, fine, but I wont give you complete descriptions on everything!! It's too much!" I nodded and she proceeded. "Once upon a time…

Lived Melissa. She was a beautiful young girl, she had brownish gold long hair, that she always kept in a braid. She had olive green eyes a big heart and an open mind. She was the daughter of Count Ivan, a serious, strict man, who would always wear black and never gave poor Melissa the love she deserved. and a poor peasant woman, but she had never known her mother, she only knew she was very far away...

One night, while she was walking through the park, she heard noises behind her. She turned around, and there he was, a tall, handsome, brown haired, dark eyed boy. She backed away, afraid, wondering why of all nights did she come tonight? and why alone? She was Count Ivan's daughter so anyone would want to kidnap her for a wealthy reward. _"Don't be afraid, I mean no harm"_ he said as he slowly moved towards her. _"I thought I heard something and I came to check it out". _Melissa realized he wasn't British like herself, he sounded almost Romanian..._"Now that you have checked it out, may you please leave?"_. She started building up her confidence, as showing weakness would only make things worse. _"Oh, but m'lady, you are young and beautiful, and alone, so leaving you here would be like committing a crime. If anything should happen to you, I would feel very guilty"_ he smiled and blushed, and so did she..._"Ok then, come with me if you like, but come too close, and I'll scream at the top of my lungs calling for help"_ she warned.

Then they spent the night talking and getting to know each other... _"So you're poor?"_ she asked gently, making sure she didn't hurt his feelings. _"Well, I'm not a king, but I don't go hungry either" _he replied. Then he looked at the sky _"M'lady, the sun is about to rise, shall I take you home?"_ She shook her head _"Oh, Nicolai, the night is still young, I want to get to know you better" _she looked into his deep eyes, full of mystery _"Then we shall meet again tomorrow night, same place, same time?"_ He gave her a smile, and finally, she agreed. They spent many nights together. And Melissa was ready to tell Nicolai how she felt, but he didn't come. He didn't appear the next day either, or the next. Melissa got so eager to see him that she went to the gypsies in search for a spell to bring him back. Mother Luna, a fortune teller gave her a spell book... Even with the spells, Nicolai wouldn't appear and Melissa lost all hope...

After many months, Melissa was accused of witchcraft, and sentenced to death. In an attempt to save her life, the priest sent her to the woods, never to return. In the woods, Melissa found an old house were she could live in. After much effort she was able to open the door, and inside, lying on the ground was Nicolai, who had been locked in there by Count Ivan, because he had seen their secret meetings. Finally together, Melissa and Nicolai swore eternal love for each other, and decided to live together in that very same house. Till this day they reside there"


End file.
